bears evidence in its style and diction or in its modes of thought or in
any other way, that it was written by the same hand which penned the
Ignatian letters.

And here I venture to say that, however we test these documents, the
contrast is very striking; more striking in fact than we should have
expected to find between two Christian writers who wrote about the same
time and were personally acquainted with each other. I will apply some
of these tests.

1. The stress which Ignatius lays on episcopacy as the keystone of
ecclesiastical order and the guarantee of theological orthodoxy, is well
known. Indeed it is often supposed that the Ignatian Letters were
written for this express purpose. In Polycarp's Epistle on the other
hand, as I have already said, there is no mention of episcopacy. He
speaks at length about the duties of the presbyters, of the deacons, of
the widows, and others, but the bishop is entirely ignored. More
especially he directs the younger men to be obedient to 'the presbyters
and deacons, as to God and Christ,' but nothing is said about obedience
to the bishop [108:1]. At a later point he has occasion to speak of an
offence committed by one Valens, a presbyter, but here again there is
the same silence. All this is quite intelligible, if the letter is
genuine, on the supposition either that there was a vacancy in the
Philippian bishopric at this time, or, as seems more probable, that the
ecclesiastical organization there was not yet fully developed; but it
is, so far as I can see, quite inconceivable that a forger whose object
was to recommend episcopacy should have pictured a state of things so
damaging to his main purpose. The supposed forger indeed shows himself
throughout quite indifferent on this subject. There is every reason for
believing that Polycarp was Bishop of Smyrna at this time; yet in the
heading of the letter he does not assert his title, but writes merely,
'Polycarp and the presbyters with him.'

2. If we turn from ecclesiastical organization to doctrinal statement,
the contrast still remains. We meet with no such strong expressions as
are found in the Ignatian letters; Polycarp, never speaks of 'the blood
of God,' 'the passion of my God,' 'Jesus Christ our God,' and the like.
Even in the commoner modes of designating our Lord, a difference is
perceptible. Thus the favourite mode of expression with Ignatius is
'Jesus Christ' simply, which occurs nearly a hundred times; whereas in